Polish Briefing: MFA on the gas directive. Cupper tax to be abolished this year

What goes on in Poland on the 14th of March.

Szymański: We were disappointed by blocking works on the gas directive

– We looked with disappointment at the activities of the Austrian Presidency, which put a hand on blocking the works on the directive. The annual impasse of legislative work was only broken at the beginning of the Romanian Presidency – Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Konrad Szymański said in the Sejm.

Szymański said that one of the dimensions of activities on the borderline of external and market issues was the continuing impasse regarding the gas directive: – It did not present any extraordinary expectations, they were simple and basic. The idea was for the European Union to enforce its law in relation to every element of energy infrastructure within our borders – he said.

He also referred to the difficulties in cooperation with Austria: – We were disappointed with the activities of the Austrian Presidency, which put a hand on blocking the work on the directive. The annual impasse of legislative work was only broken at the beginning of the Romanian Presidency under Polish and French pressure, to draw the consequences of our own arrangements, the shape of the energy market and energy security, in matters that go far beyond the market logic. This matter is of strategic importance due to the strategic importance of Nord Stream 2 for the region, said the deputy minister of foreign affairs.

ME announces the abolition of copper tax until the end of the year

– Together with the Ministry of Finance, we have been working for a year on abolishing the copper tax adopted for previous governments. I think that this will be achieved this year – Deputy Minister of Energy Grzegorz Tobiszowski said in the Sejm.

– Material and analysis are prepared. Work on the abolition of tax has been ongoing for a year and for a year together with the Ministry of Finance, we are working on abolishing it. This year, the analysis and decision should be emphasized by the Ministry of Finance managed by Mrs Teresa Czerwińska. This is binding for me, because we talked about it before taking over the government – Tobiszowski said.

The tax on the extraction of certain minerals is collected in Poland from April 2012. The tax concerns the extraction of copper and silver and KGHM is the only payer of this tax on these raw materials. Minister Tobiszowski takes part in the May elections to the European Parliament from the Silesian district.